The present invention relates to a cleaning material that removes microscopic particles such as toner and paper powder from a cleaning member, a developing member, a transferring members, which are provided about a photosensitive drum in an electrophotography apparatus, and to a sealing material that blocks flow of microscopic particles.
Typical cleaning material and sealing material are formed by raising a plurality of pile yarns on a ground fabric. A supporting layer is adhered to the back of the ground fabric with an adhesive film. A sticking layer is formed on the back of the supporting layer. The ground fabric is formed of woven fabric, which is obtained by weaving warps and wefts, which are perpendicular to each other. The pile yarns are woven to the wefts.
The cleaning material and the sealing material attached to a housing, which includes a cleaning member, a developing member, and a transferring member, such that the distal ends of the pile yarns contact a photosensitive drum. The cleaning material scrapes toner off the photosensitive drum to clean the surface of the photosensitive drum. The pile yarns of the sealing material trap toner that would otherwise escape from the space between the housing and the photosensitive drum. In other words, the sealing material blocks leakage of the toner from the space.
When such cleaning material and sealing material are cut to fit the shape and the size of an area to which the members are attached, the ground fabric is cut along the direction of the warps and wefts. At this time, the warps and wefts are frayed at the cut surface. Therefore, segments of the warps and wefts and segments of pile yarns can come off the fabric. The dropped segments, or lint, hinder the cleaning and flow blocking performances of the cleaning material and the sealing material.
The present invention was made for solving the above problems in the prior art. Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a cleaning material and a sealing material for microscopic particles that prevent yarns from being frayed by cutting.
To achieve the foregoing and other objectives and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, a cleaning material attached to a supporting body facing a moving body that contacts microscopic particles is provided. The cleaning material includes a ground fabric and pile yarns. The ground fabric is formed with a knit fabric. The knit fabric is obtained through warp knitting ground yarns. The pile yarns are raised on the ground fabric. The pile yarns slide on the moving body to scrape off the microscopic particles on the moving body, thereby cleaning the surface of the moving body.
The pile yarns of the cleaning material may be formed of conductive fibers.
The present invention may be applied to a method for manufacturing a cleaning material that includes a ground fabric and pile yarns. The pile yarns are raised and then sheared such that the height of the pile yarns from the surface of the ground fabric is 0.5 to 5 mm.
Further, the present invention may be applied to a sealing material attached to a moving body that contacts microscopic particles or to a supporting body facing the moving body. The sealing material has a ground fabric. A supporting layer made of cushioning material is located on the back surface of the ground fabric.
Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.